Naruto: A Tale of Happiness and Sorrow
by Wind Sage 00
Summary: After Jiraiya's death, Naruto finds himself tangled in a whole other mess. A NaruxHina & NaruxSaku fanfic. Recently revised. Note: I do not own Naruto, the rights to its characters or anything of the sort.
1. Chapter 1

A Tale of Happiness and Sorrow

By: Wind Sage 00

Chapter 1

The sun began to set behind the great stone faces of the Hokages, a cool wind lightly brushed by the Ichiraku Ramen shop blowing the steam off of Naruto's freshly made ramen. He had been sitting there for what seemed like an eternity, barely noticing the old man sliding his favorite dish beside him. Not even ramen could bring Naruto out of his depressed slump.

"Pervy Sage...hmmm…", said Naruto.

Naruto sat there staring into his ramen, the noodles still swirling around; much like his rasengan he thought…the same one Jiraiya-sama had taught him.

Naruto paid for his uneaten meal and left the ramen shop, still half aware of what was going on around him. He didn't care though, how could he? The man who had taught him the 4th's technique, the one who had saved him from the Akatsuki, and…the first one since Iruka-sensei that had been like a father figure to him.

(Thinking to himself) "Well, maybe not a father but a grandfather…he was like, what over 50?"

A smile managed to creep onto Naruto's face as he thought back to the first time he had met Jiraiya-sama. He remembered how Jiraiya taught him how to first walk on water, then summon toads, and the time he and Naruto had split an ice-cream after training for the rasengan…

A tear began to flow down Naruto's cheek and a somber pain rushed all through his body. He was about to wipe the tear away when all of a sudden he heard, very quietly and softly…

"N-Naruto kun."

Naruto looked up to see he had wandered in front of the Hyuuga Manor, and there was Hinata standing at the front gate, her finger held close to her lips (as he had seen her do often when she was younger). He quickly brushed away the tear that had strolled down his cheek and said in the cheeriest voice he could muster…

"Oh, hey there Hinata. Didn't realize I wondered off this far."

"…W-What's wrong, you look sad.", said Hinata.

"Its nothing, really I'm fine…thanks for asking Hinata-san, I really appreciate it…"

(Thinking to herself) "N-N-Naruto-kun appreciates me?"

"I'm just really…I don't know what to say even… I could really use someone to talk to right now I guess…"

(Thinking to herself) "Naruto-kun wants to talk to me??? Here? Alone?"

She started to quiver as she looked into his wet fierce blue eyes… (Thud!)

Hinata immediately fell strait back onto the stone pave-way of the manor. Naruto quickly rushed over to her.

"Hinata, you ok?" (To himself) "Why does she always faint like that? She's so weird sometimes."

Hinata slowly regained consciousness and opened her eyes to see Naruto kneeling beside her.

"Hinata, are you ok?", asked Naruto.

"Y-Yes, I'm fine Naruto-kun."

"Right, you gave me a scare; I was worried for a second…You should get some rest if you're not feeling well. I'm going to go take a walk."

(Thinking to herself) "He was worried about me?"

"No, really I'm fine Naruto-kun. I-I would like to talk…if that's ok with you.", said Hinata.

"Yeah sure."

Hinata gets up and the two walk out together back towards town. The sun sets behind the great stone faces of the Hokages, as the two make their way up to the top, looking at the buildings below. All the while, they've never stopped talking.

"I remember when I was in the academy, the 3rd and I were standing up here looking out over everything; I wanted to then and still want to become Hokage one day."

"I think that you would be a great Hokage Naruto-kun.", said Hinata with a big smile on her face.

"I thought so too; but everyone I get close to gets hurt because of me, leaves or dies because of me. I can't save anyone."

"No, that's not true! You never give up and always believe in yourself and others, even when they don't believe in themselves. You stand up for everyone and are not afraid to fail. You're going to make a great Hokage! Jiraiya-sama probably thought so too."

"Hinata…"

Around the same time, Sakura was looking around for Naruto. She had just heard the news of Jiraiya's death, and wanted to see if Naruto was ok.

"I wonder where Naruto could be?"

(Thinking to herself) "Naruto…I can't imagine how your feeling now…Where are you?"

She searched and searched. She checked by his room, she checked the Ichiraku ramen shop, and even checked their old training area. Midnight passed and the sun started to creep above the rooftops. Tired and cold, she was just about to give up when she happened to glace at the Hokage faces…

"That's gotta be where Naruto is!"

Sakura climbed the stairs and was about to reach the top when she stopped and saw Naruto with Hinata. Just as the sun rose completely over the rooftops, Sakura saw Naruto and Hinata come together and kiss.

A wave of feelings gripped Sakura as she stepped back, then ran down the stairs into town. She ran and ran, the tears flowing down her face.

"Why am I crying? I was just looking to see if Naruto was ok, right? But then…why do I feel so empty?"

Confused and sad, she ran to her house where she went to her room and crashed on her bed. Exhausted from looking all night, she eventually fell asleep upon her tear drenched pillow.

End of Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2

A Tale of Happiness and Sorrow

Written by: Wind Sage 00

Chapter 2

The sound of birds chirping could be heard upon the calm sunlit morning outside Sakura's house. The morning sun had long since risen above the village, and the early riser was still fast asleep in her bed. Sakura lay half way on her bed, her clothes from the previous day still on, and her shoes still fastened to her feet. She wasn't sure what time she had gotten back to her house; nor could she remember how she had gotten there in the first place…Slowly, things began to shift back into focus as she recalled the events from last night.

(To herself) "Naruto…that's why I was up so late. I was looking for Naruto."

Sakura then remembered the scene of Naruto and Hinata upon the Hokage's ridge; the two coming together and Hinata kissing Naruto ever so softly, just as the morning sun was bathing the village in a brilliant flash of light.

(To herself) "Hinata…I can't believe she would do something like that. After what he just went through, how could Naruto suddenly have feelings for her? I mean, he was clueless to her feelings for so long, what changed last night? How could he do that?"

A thought entered Sakura's mind…Why did she care what Naruto did? Sure she was very concerned for him on his loss of Jiraiya-sama, and as his teammate and friend she wanted to help him during that time.

(Sarcastically to herself) "He obviously had some help from Hinata last night though…"

Again Sakura thought, why did she care what Naruto did? Shouldn't she be glad Hinata finally mustered the courage to show her feelings to Naruto; and Naruto now had someone to console him?

Yes, she agreed with herself, that was very good…but then why…Why could she not shake this awkward feeling of mixed emotions sinking into the very depths of her being…Half conscious, she continued to lay on her bed thinking about it over and over again.

"Sakura! Time to get up honey! You have things to do today!", said Sakura's mother.

(To herself) "Ugh...its way to early to be getting up now…"

As she pulled herself up onto the bed and rubbed her sore neck, she continued to be haunted by the question of why she felt the way she did about this whole thing.

At around the same time, Hinata was preparing morning tea for her father. She took the kettle of water and began pouring it over the crushed tea leaves in a small tea kettle. As she was preparing the tea, Hinata began thinking of the wonderful dream she had last night. Naruto-kun had walked and talked with her and she had not fainted at all.

(To herself) "Ohh…If only I could really talk to Naruto-kun like that…

As she drifted into her dream once again she recalled the two of them upon the cliff overlooking the sunrise…And then they…

"Hinata! Watch the tea!", Hiashi shouted.

"Ohh! I-I'm sorry Father. I'll clean it up.", said Hinata.

"Please make sure that you do, and try not to make any more of a mess.", he grumbled.

As Hinata began to wipe the tea from the drenched wooden floor, she began to blush at the memory of that one single moment with Naruto…

"Oh what a good dream! That's everything I thought it would be and more…if only…if only I could really tell Naruto-kun how I feel."

Later that day, Sakura was running some errands for Tsunade-sama, the 5th Hokage, when she saw in the distance Hinata walking along the same path. Sakura quickly hid behind a nearby sign as her heartbeat raced violently.

(To herself) "Oh no, what if Hinata saw me spying on them last night? She doesn't look like her normal self, what should I do?"

"Oh, hi Sakura-chan.", said Hinata.

Sakura felt an icy grip rush all over her, she'd been found. Slowly, she turned her head and walked down the steps as she tried to muster the most polite smile and hello she could make.

"Oh hi Hinata. How are you?"

"I'm alright, thank you. Sakura…D-Do you know where… Naruto-kun…is right now?"

Sakura felt the same icy grip rush over her again. So she wasn't noticed last night, but it seemed Hinata definitely noticed Naruto. What should she say? Should she tell her that she didn't know, or should she lie and say he was busy? Just then…

"Oi!!! Sakura-chan!"

(Both Hinata and Sakura to themselves) "Naruto!!!"

As Naruto ran toward the pair, the two of them felt a wave of panic sink in as he approached.

"Sakura-chan, Sai said you were looking for me. Is everything ok?"

Sakura sat there a bit dumbfounded. He had approached her and not Hinata; no, he hadn't even noticed Hinata yet. But Naruto seemed happy and cheery this morning, much different than she had pictured him being after hearing the solemn news…What was going on?

(Looking confused at Sakura's blank stare) "Hmm? Oh hey Hinata, what are you doing here?"

(Nervously) "N-Naruto-kun...", said Hinata faintly.

Her head became dizzy once again, as the dream of her and Naruto together on the cliff came back into her mind. She started to feel light headed and fell backwards toward the street. At that moment though, a puzzled Naruto quickly put his arms behind her and caught her as she fell.

"Oi, hey Hinata? Hinata!? You ok?"

(To herself) "The way Naruto went to go help her now…he must have feelings for her after all. What am I saying I…"

"Sakura, is she ok? Is she sick or something? Why is she always fainting?"

The next thing Naruto knew, he too was flat on his back and unconscious as Sakura lunged at him and sent him spiraling into a nearby wall.

(Softly) "…Sakura-san…what did I do?"

(To herself) "Oooo! Naruto! Of all the stupid things to do, he practically goes all over Hinata last night and can't remember a thing?!? On top of that he now asks if she's ok to the girl who's mad they kissed in the first place! Wait…No, what am I saying? I'm not mad at him. It's just…Oooo Naruto!!! You get me so mad!"

With her head held high and arms crossed, Sakura stormed onward down the path to continue her errands, leaving an unconscious Hinata and battered Naruto behind.

END CHAPTER 2


	3. Chapter 3

A Tale of Happiness and Sorrow

Written by: Wind Sage 00

Chapter 3

Slowly drifting back into consciousness, Hinata began to hear a distant voice call out to her. Her eyes fluttered and squinted at the bright afternoon sun that beat upon them. Slowly, her vision began to shift back into focus and she saw someone standing over her and heard them call her name.

"Hey! Hinata! Are you ok?"

(To herself) "Naruto-kun? Is that him?"

Hinata fully opened her eyes to see a battered Naruto leaning over her; the left side of his face having a big black and blue mark on it.

"Hey you're up! Are you ok? Why do you keep fainting like that all the time?", said Naruto.

As he said this, Naruto felt Hinata's forehead.

"Well, you don't have a fever or anything…Are you ok?"

(To herself) "W-What do I do? Naruto-kun's holding my hand! What do I do?!?"

Reading Hinata's discomfort on her face, Naruto helped her up and stood back.

"Hinata…Are you sick or something because I'm around? Is it something I did?"

(In her soft voice) "No, that's not it…You didn't do anything wrong…"

"Well then what is it?"

Timidly Hinata mumbled out, "I…I…umm…"

Just as Hinata was trying to muster up the courage to tell Naruto, two ANBU shinobi appeared before Naruto. They wore white masks in the shape of cats, one with red and the other with green markings.

"Uzumaki Naruto, Hokage-sama wishes to speak with you immediately. We are to escort you directly to her now.", said ANBU #1.

Naruto looked back to see Hinata, but found she had disappeared just as fast as the two ANBU had came. He regrettably turned back to the two ANBU and nodded that he would go with them. As he and the two ANBU left, Hinata peeked her head around the corner of the nearby alley where she had been hiding.

"Naruto…"

She came out of the alley and looked around. She saw the afternoon sun slowly setting behind the rooftops, and knew her father would want her home soon. Hinata turned and walked down the road towards her house, passing stores and people peeking in and out of shops. But to her, she was the only one walking the streets. Lost in her thoughts, she thought of what just happened, and then of the wonderful dream she had last night…

"Oh…Why couldn't it go like that?", said Hinata.

Hinata continued to walk on, still lost in thought, not paying attention to the person holding a huge tower of boxes walking straight for her. The two of them crashed, the boxes and their contents were sent flying in the air. Hinata quickly came back to her senses.

"OH! I-I'm very sorry! Here, let me help…"

"Hinata?!?", said Sakura.

"Sakura! I-I'm so sorry, here I…", said Hinata.

(Grabbing a box from her hand) "I'm fine, its nothing. Don't worry about it ok!?!?"

"Oh…ok. I'm really sorry…"

"I get it, you're sorry ok! I don't need _you_ helping me right now."

"D-Did I do something wrong Sakura?"

Sakura looked at Hinata, then down at the ground. Finally she took a heavy sigh as said…

"…Hinata…I guess…I guess I'm just afraid you don't know what you're doing…someone might get hurt."

"W-What do you mean?"

"I know it's none of my business, and I don't want to get between anything…I just don't know if it's the right time for that sort of thing right now; don't you? Or maybe it is. I don't know."

"I-I still don't know what you mean Sakura-chan."

"Hinata, please don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. I don't want to interfere with you two; it's just, I don't want to see Naruto getting hurt; especially when he's already gone through so much."

"Naruto-kun?"

Becoming irritated at Hinata's constant denial and questioning, Sakura burst out…

"I saw you two kissing each other last night ok!?!"

"W-What?!? N-N….N-Naruto-kun…_last night_…"

Hinata's face turned a deep shade of red as she started to become lightheaded and fainted backwards onto the street once more.

(Dazed) "N-Naruto-kun…_kissed_…"

Sakura looked down on the fainted Hinata with confusion and a bit of jealousy and anger.

"_She_ doesn't remember kissing him either?!?"

END CHAPTER 3


	4. Chapter 4

A Tale of Happiness and Sorrow

Written by: Wind Sage 00

Chapter 4

Naruto solemnly exited Tsunade's office, his head bent low and body slouched, all signs of how terrible and depressed he really was. Tsunade had just told him that news of Akatsuki's movements around the Fire Country had been reported again. But he was not allowed to leave the village under any circumstances.

"Great…That's all I need right now. Granny Tsunade won't tell me anything of where to find this Akatsuki leader, nor will she send me on any more missions till this clears up…", said Naruto.

A deep sadness for the loss of his mentor consumed Naruto. His sadness slowly turned to rage; rage for the murderer of one of the greatest shinobi he had ever known. The man was like his uncle or grandfather, the only form of a relative that Naruto had ever known…and all he could do was sulk here and do nothing to avenge him!!!

He thought, "Is this what Sauske felt like?".

Sauske…another friend that he couldn't save. Why is it that every time he grows close to someone they tend to drift away, leave, die, or bash him in the…

"Sakura!"

A wave of panic swept over him.

(To himself) "Is she back to go crazy woman on me again?"

Sakura walked toward Naruto, carrying a bundle of papers and boxes to deliver to Tsunade before she went home for the night. As he looked at her though, he couldn't help feel that something wasn't right. She wasn't happy, sad, nor mad…

(In a solemn voice) "Oh…Hey Naruto."

"Sakura, what's wrong?", said Naruto.

Sensing that Naruto could see that she was feeling down, she did her best to play it off that she was just tired.

"Nothings wrong, I'm fine. I'm just tired from running Tsunade-sama's errands all day. It's nothing."

(Not wanting to upset her by pressing the subject) "Oh, ok then.", said Naruto.

Naruto said goodbye to Sakura and began to walk out a nearby door to leave; however, a troubling question had been brewing in Sakura's mind for a long time now, and she needed to get it out.

Sakura shouted after Naruto, "Uh, Naruto?"

(Turning around) "Yeah Sakura?"

"I'm going to drop these off for Tsunade-sama then I'll be going home later. Could you give me a second and we can walk back together or something?"

Taken aback by Sakura's comment, Naruto didn't know what to say. For years he had been trying to get the chance to walk Sakura home…really, to do anything with Sakura actually. Besides…the way he was feeling right now, he felt like he could really use someone to talk to.

"Sure Sakura. I'll meet you outside."

A small smile crept onto Sakura's face, as she turned and said…

"Thanks Naruto. I'll be right back."

Naruto went down the outside stairway and waited outside for Sakura. His palms began to sweat, and he began to pace back and forth.

"Oh man, oh man! What am I going to do?"

About the same time, Sakura was looking down at Naruto from a window. She backed away and began to bite her lip and pace back and forth.

(To herself) "Oh!! What do I do, what do I do?"

After a few minutes, Sakura walked down to Naruto and they both gave a nervous smile to the other as they walked down the street, side by side. The sun had long since set, and the stars began to shine brightly in the evening sky. The wind blew crisp and cold against Naruto's brow, which helped to cool the beads of sweat pouring down his face. Naruto's mind began racing with questions. Should he talk to her? What do I talk to her about? Sakura though, was thinking the same thing. The two friends continued to walk down the street in a painful silence. When they had almost arrived at Sakura's house, the two finally started up a conversation.

"So, what's it like training under Granny Tsunade?"

"Well she's tough, but she's also very kind and a good teacher. The training was hard, but I told myself: "Next time, I'm not going to be a hindrance for my team. I'm going to protect you…I mean, you guys."

"Sakura…you never got in the way of anyone. You were always the one who held the team together and always remembered all that boring stuff from back at the academy."

"Well if you had paid attention more you wouldn't have needed me to tell you everything."

"Nah, I'd still prefer to for you to tell me anyway."

Sakura felt a warm glow flow over her, and she couldn't help but smile at him. Here was the guy she couldn't stand, whose ignorance and stupidity at times got her in a whole lot of trouble…but, he also was always there to get her out. No matter how bad the situation,j he had always fought for his friends, never giving up. More importantly, he had always been by her side, even when she didn't want him to be.

The two of them finally arrived at Sakura's house. Sakura stopped in front of the door, her head held low and arms crossed in front of her. Suddenly, she lifted her head and opened her eyes, staring straight at Naruto. The night's dazzling array of stars glimmered in her eyes like a thousand diamonds. Naruto stood mesmerized and couldn't think of anything to say; everything he thought of didn't compare to what he saw before him. He opened his mouth to try and say something, when Sakura leaned in close and softly kissed him.

He had been waiting for this moment for as long as he could remember; he couldn't begin to describe the feeling inside of him. It felt amazing and wonderful…but, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, that maybe this wasn't right. He quickly tried to dismiss the thought and held Sakura closer in his arms. Farther away, a heartbroken Hinata stood in utter horror at the sight she was witnessing. The tears wouldn't come to her eyes though; eyes that longed for the small comfort of tears, to help pass the sorrow of a broken heart. All she could do was walk away in shame and embarrassment. Here she was trying to visit and apologize to Sakura, and ask advice on how to tell Naruto her feelings; only to find Sakura in the loving embrace of _her_ one true love. Drowning in a sea of emptiness and sadness, Hinata faded into the darkness of the night. She was only to willing to be surrounded by the shadows; here at least, she thought, nothing could hurt her.

END OF CHAPTER 4


	5. Chapter 5

A Tale of Happiness and Sorrow

Written by: Wind Sage 00

Chapter 5

Sadness, it was but a fleeting memory of the loss that filled Hinata's heart. She was tired of being the shy lonely girl that sat back and did nothing to tell Naruto how she truly felt. When the moment came that all her dreams came true, neither her nor Naruto remembered. Now, if she didn't act quickly, Naruto's heart would belong to someone else.

"No! I…I can't let this happen. I must get back up and fight for what I believe in, fight for the man I love…for that is my ninja way."

Hinata sat under a shady maple tree in her manor garden. Every cloud that drifted along the soft summer breeze, every gentle tree and vibrant flower…all reminded her of Naruto. She was a ninja, trained not to show her emotions or let them get the best of her. She calmed herself down, but decided that yes, if Naruto would make her happy…she would fight for him.

"No, I-I can't do that…No matter what I do, I don't think I can face…"

"Hello? Is Hinata…Oh! Hey Hinata, here you are!, said Sakura."

A shutter of fear and anger swelled within Hinata as she saw Sakura enter her manor estate.

Hinata thought to herself, "HOW DARE SHE EVEN SHOW HER FACE HERE AFTER WHAT SHE DID!!!"

"Hinata, I'm sorry to disturb you on such a nice day; but I wanted to apologize for how I acted yesterday. I was just worried about Naruto and wanted to make sure he would be…"

Before Sakura could even finish her sentence, she felt a sharp pain thrust sharply through her body. The next thing she knew she went down on her knees onto the ground. She stared up to see Hinata standing above her breathing heavily and holding the gentle fist stance.

"You…Y-You don't even get, to _speak_ his name!", said Hinata.

"What is your problem?!? What the heck did you hit me for? I was right after all, you'd just end up hurting Naru…"

Hinata went to strike Sakura as she was about to speak Naruto's name again; but this time Sakura saw the attack and jumped backward.

"I told you! You don't get to speak his name!"

"Hinata, you can't be mad at me for speaking his name. If you like him so much, why don't you do something about it?"

"Like you did last night?!?"

Sakura was taken aback. Hinata had now seen her doing the exact same thing Hinata had done with Naruto; she couldn't play dumb anymore.

"Hinata, you can't be mad at me for having feelings for Naruto now. That's not your decision to make!"

"I-I know that…But you knew I feelings for him, and you still did…what you did anyway! You didn't even like him till now! How could you do something like that to me Sakura-chan? Why…why Sakura-chan?"

"Hinata…It's true that I didn't look at Naruto like you do until recently; but, I saw that he was the only one who ever stood by me no matter what. Naruto's been the one to protect and save me, even when I didn't give him credit or ask him to. What have you done Hinata to show Naruto how you've felt all these years, huh? The truth really is you don't know what you want. I don't want to lose him…and you don't deserve him!"

Hinata's eyes glared at her once close friend, reflecting an equally fierce stare from Sakura. Tears would not be shed and this wasn't the time to hide, this was the time to fight; to protect her ninja way, to protect her honor, and…to fight for Naruto.

Hinata struck her Gentle Fist pose and said, "Prepare yourself…Sakura-chan. I cannot let what you've said to go unanswered anymore."

"Alright then, let's do this."

Meanwhile, Naruto was feeling the best he'd felt in days. He'd been training like crazy ever since the news of his mentor's murder; asking everyone from Kakashi, to Gai sensei to help him train. Although the training with Gai sensei really hadn't paid off, he felt like he was much better off than when he started. He had to catch up to Sauske and defend himself from Akatsuki. No one would be there to defend him now, he was all alone. At least, that's what he thought before two nights ago. Everything changed that first night of training. He was being followed by ANBU all around the village for protection from Tsunade, and he couldn't go anywhere without them being all over him. So, he used the shadow clone jutsu and created a clone to go around the village and throw off the ANBU from his training.

It wasn't until later that Naruto met his shadow clone and Hinata at the top of the Hokage ridge. Naruto saw someone running and went to see if everything was ok. When he reached the top, he saw his clone and Hinata kissing. He couldn't believe it! He tried to quietly move closer when they both saw him. Hinata did a quick double take and couldn't figure out what was going on. Naruto canceled the technique, but the poof from the clone releasing knocked Hinata backwards and she hit her head hard against a rock. Bewildered, Naruto picked up Hinata and carried her back to her house. He didn't know what to do or tell her, he never knew she felt this way about him before…

And then there was the night afterwards…but this time it was for real. Naruto couldn't believe his luck when Sakura wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. Naruto had been waiting for a moment like that forever; but, now that he knew that two girls felt the same way, he didn't know what to do. Naruto was torn, he had always had feelings for Sakura; yet, she never really accepted him till now. Then, there was Hinata, who was always quiet, shy, and always fainting; yet, apparently she had always cared for him…

"Hmm… (scratching his head) What the heck do I do?"

As Naruto was walking and thinking about this, a cloud of dust and debris rose above the rooftops ahead of him.

"What the…What the heck's going on?"

Naruto arrived quickly at Hyuga Manor to see the exterior walls filled with huge gapping holes, and debris littered everywhere. A major battle had taken place here for sure.

"Whoa! What the heck happened here?"

He heard someone screaming inside the manor and rushed in to find Sakura and Hinata dueling in the main courtyard. Sakura's arms were filled with bruises from the gentle fist attacks of Hinata. Sakura's left arm was hanging limp at her side, and her dress was all dirty and torn. Hinata though…she was a mess. Her hair looked like it had been ripped off on one side, blood ran down from the side of her mouth, she was holding her right side of her body in pain and she was covered in dust and rubble from the wall debris. This was a full out cat fight!

As he stood in the entrance way dumbfounded, both girls finally caught eye of him staring at them.

"N-Naruto!", said Hinata.

"Naruto!", said Sakura.

"Sakura, what happened here?", said Naruto.

Sakura explained, "I came over here trying to apologize to Hinata about something and she went completely nuts!".

"That's not true Naruto-kun! I was…I-I was…"

"Well, what happened then Hinata?", said Naruto.

Hinata didn't know what to do. She was overcome by rage against Sakura and all that had just happened; she thought about just telling Naruto the whole story and about how she saw the two of them last night at Sakura's house. But then, she couldn't bear to think of how the news would shock Naruto of her catching the two of them together. She was so ashamed that he had caught her in this state…he wasn't supposed to be here now, seeing her like this. He'd never believe her story, or understand now why she felt the way she did. What hope did she have when he obviously had feelings for Sakura.

Hinata slowly lowered her head and began to cry, her hands clenched in fists of rage. Through the tears she said,

"I-I…I just can't. I'm sorry Naruto-kun, I'm sorry."

And with that, she ran past Naruto onto the busy street filled with people looking in to see what all the commotion was about.

"Hey Hinata!", shouted Naruto as he turned to go after her.

"What are you doing? You're going after her after she was the one who did all this? Are you just going to chase off after someone because she's crying?", said Sakura.

"I'm sorry Sakura, I have to see if she's ok.", said Naruto.

Sakura only watched in disbelief as Naruto turned and ran away into the distance.

"…Naruto…"


	6. Chapter 6

A Tale of Happiness and Sorrow

Written by: Wind Sage 00

Chapter 6

A trail of tears led down the streets of Konoha to the practice fields. Nothing in the world made sense anymore, Hinata had just gotten beat to a pulp by Sakura all over a man whom she felt so strongly about; yet, she wasn't even sure he felt the same way. The whole time she was running she neglected to see just how badly she was hurt. Her beautiful new dress was stained with blood and covered in dust and rubble, but her…

"Oww!", said Hinata as she grabbed her side in pain.

She wasn't sure, but she might have seriously taken damage from one of Sakura's blows. She tried to stand up from where she was sitting behind one of the three training posts, but couldn't bring herself to get back up. It was no use, her legs just wouldn't carry her anymore, and she was too worn out. She laid her head against the wooden post and tried to shut out the pain. Just then, she heard a voice call out:

"Hinata! Hinata! Hinata where are you?"

"Naruto-kun!"

Hinata shifted over to glimpse a sight of him from behind the post, but didn't see him anywhere.

"Hinata there you are!", said Naruto.

"Eeep!", squealed Hinata.

She had not seen him go around the other way and was caught off guard.

"Hinata, what's wrong? What happened back there?"

"I-I fought Sakura.", mumbled Hinata.

"Yeah, I can see that. You really did a number on her back there! What were you two fighting about anyway?"

(Looking down) "Nothing…"

"Hinata, there's a huge gapping hole in the side of your front wall…and you were both bleeding and banged up. I don't think it was nothing."

"It was just a fight between me and Sakura-chan, really that's it."

Knowing she wasn't telling the whole truth, Naruto decided to try and find the answer. He couldn't leave a friend beat and bloody alone out here anyway. So he slowly leaned and slid his back down the wooden post to sit beside Hinata. He stretched out his legs and tilted his head back to stare up at the brilliant gold and crimson sky.

"You know, I never knew you liked pressing flowers…"

"What?", said Hinata a bit confused.

"The night we sat talking on the cliff, you told me you liked pressing flowers", said Naruto.

"Yes, I do...You remembered that night?"

"Yeah…Well, you see it wasn't really me up there talking to you, but then again it was…umm, how do I say it? It was my shadow clone you were talking to, so yeah in a way it was me up there. I stumbled upon you two and canceled the jutsu, but didn't think you'd hit your head on a rock."

"Oh, so that's what happened…", said Hinata.

"Its my fault I'm sorry. I should have told you sooner about it, but you didn't bring it up and I just didn't know how to start talking about it."

(Making a small smile), "Its ok I -"

Hinata grabbed at her side again in pain.

"Hey, what happened there? Hinata, you're hurt really bad. We have to get you over to Granny Tsunade right way", said Naruto.

"No really I'm fine Naruto-kun. I'll be alright, right now I'm just tired.", said Hinata.

Naruto looked at her grabbing her side in pain and knew taking her to the hospital was the right thing to do; however, he decided to let her rest for now and eventually he'd take her to get some help.

"Ok then….So you still haven't answered my question about what you two were fighting about.", said Naruto.

(Softly) "…You"

"What? I can't hear you Hinata", said Naruto as he leaned in to hear her better.

Hinata bit her lip, and began to feel all weak and lightheaded. Her mind began racing and she didn't know what to say. Without thinking she blurted out:

"We were fighting about you Naruto-kun." "Eeep!"

What had she just said?!?

"Oh my God, oh my God. Stupid, stupid, what did I just do?!?"

Naruto sat there with a blank stare on his face; he looked like he was in deep thought. Hinata meanwhile was dying from embarrassment. She looked at him just sitting there not saying anything and instantly thought the worse.

"He doesn't feel the same way! He's going to tell me he doesn't like me, and-"

Hinata was interrupted by a slight touch that sent electricity flying up her hand to the core of her body. She looked down and saw Naruto holding her hand.

As if to himself: "I'm so sorry Hinata. I'm so sorry. No one should have to fight because of me. I spent the entire day thinking about what's happened these past few days…I've learned Ero-sennin was murdered, Akatsuki is after me again, and then I'm told by two friends that they love me…I guess I just didn't know what to do."

"I'm sure you two talked, but Sakura told me last night she loved me. To be honest, I waited my entire life to hear those words-"

Hinata cringed when he said this.

"-; but you know, when I saw the two of you fighting and both of you were hurt…there was only one person that I was worried about. And it wasn't who I thought it would be…All I remember thinking was, 'I don't want to see her cry. I'd do anything so I wouldn't have to see Hinata cry.'"

Hinata finally turned to see him, and saw he was starring directly at her. His fierce blue eyes seemed to pierce into her soul. She felt a shiver run down along her skin up into her spine and she began to feel all flushed inside.

Naruto continued, "I'm going to have to leave Konoha soon, to go far away. But I want you to know-"

Hinata put her hand on his face, let it slide down ever so gently, and then brushed back his golden blonde hair. The soft touch of her hand seemed to melt his worries away. She then leaned in and began to pull him. She had longed for this moment for as long as she could remember. That one instant in time…that one moment that surely would-

Their lips met, and Hinata held that kiss for what seemed like an eternity. Both of their eyes were closed as each was lifted to another time and space. All worries and troubles melted away as they entered a state of eternal bliss.

Hinata pulled away, and Naruto opened his eyes to see a beautiful woman staring back at him. Her pale face turned golden by the setting sun, and her large purple eyes staring back at him. Naruto was speechless. But Hinata, she felt so alive that she would burst from all the happiness inside.

Almost laughing to herself with joy: "Hmm, it was worth the wait."

END OF CHAPTER 6

*Revised and updated thanks to fan feedback. As promised the next chapter will be up shortly. For everyone that reads this, I would like to sincerely thank you for reading my work. Seeing just how many people read this story and the feedback I've been getting, has really made me try to go the extra mile. I write for the readers, and I will continue to do so as long as they want my stories. Thank you.


	7. Chapter 7

A Tale of Happiness and Sorrow

Written by: Wind Sage 00

Chapter 7

(Please note: I do not own Naruto, its characters, or any trademarks of the work…I'll leave that to Kishi.)

(Some spoiler content if you haven't read the manga)

_One month…That's how long it's been since I've seen him…I am alone to my work now. Not a day goes by that I haven't stopped and thought about that day. Just when everything was starting to seem right, that happiness was ripped from me in an instant. He didn't follow me…He didn't choose me…I am alone._

_One month…That's how long it's been since I've seen him…But I am not alone anymore. Not a day goes by that I haven't stopped and thought about that day. Just when everything was starting to seem hopeless, he brought me out from my sadness. He followed me…He choose me…I am not alone anymore._

Gathering up scattered papers, a kunoichi neatly places them in a pile and begins to sort them. The days are filled with new tasks and new challenges, but she is caught in a haze. She sees life as if viewing it from another person's body. Her days are spent helping at the hospital, and her nights lying upon her bed. An emptiness she can't fill etches into her, and fills her with longing. Why is she like this?

Tired and sore, a kunoichi struggles to rise to her feet. The days are filled with new hopes and dreams, but she is focused on only one thing. She sees life as if she is caught in an endless dream that she hopes will never end. Her days are spent at her manor training, and her nights staring up at the sky. A warmth fills her up inside as she stares at the evening stars. She misses him.

The two kunoichi move towards their windows and stare up at the moon above. Each whispering a silent prayer, they both fold their hands and stare up high.

"_Naruto, I know you're out there. I can't help thinking of you…are you thinking of me?"_

The next morning, Sakura shifted in her bed as she tried to go back to sleep. She heard a knock at the door and instinctively reached out to smash the alarm clock on her bedside table; however, after the seventh broken clock, her mother had refused to buy her another one. With nothing to take out her vengeance upon, she curled up in bed and tried to avoid the inevitable. However the knocking on the door continued as her mother yelled:

"Time to wake up Sakura, you need to get up and go to work"

"_Stupid work, I hate mornings!" said Sakura._

She slowly drifted out of bed and prepared for the day ahead. Something about today just didn't feel right though.

Sakura ate her breakfast of miso soup, rice, and beans, and then walked out toward the Hokage's office. The more she walked to work, the more Sakura felt an uneasy feeling grow from within her. Something just didn't seem right.

"_You gotta get over this Sakura. Look what its doing to you now! You have to put this behind you and move on already."_

Just as she was thinking this, she happened to look over in the horizon and see something hurtling through the sky. It was too far away for her to get a good look at it, but the object seemed to fly over the village and then drifted downwards as it fell toward the ground. A few moments later, a large cloud of dust arose as several buildings fell around the area the object had fallen to. As Sakura watched, a giant centipede arose from the ground and towered over the rooftops.

"_What…What is that? It's huge!"_

Sakura looked to her right at the Hokage's Office Building and then straight ahead to the Giant Centipede…without hesitation, she leaped off toward the giant summoned creature.

"_Forgive me Hokage-sama, but I cannot stand by and let the people of this village be harmed. I know I should report to you on this sighting, but I fear that something very terrible is about to happen to Konoha."_

At about the same time, a man rushed through a beautiful garden into a training compound in the middle of a beautiful estate. Inside, two shinobi of the Hyuuga Clan were sparing off against each other. The man leaned heavily upon his knees as he struggled to regain his breath. He bowed as he reported:

"Forgive my intrusion Hiashi-sama! A thousand pardons, but the village is under attack."

"What? By whom?" yelled Hiashi.

"We are not sure at the moment Hiashi-sama, but our sources on the front lines tell us the intruders are wearing the black cloaks with red clouds of the Akatsuki."

The Head of the Hyuuga Clan stood in thought, paralyzed by the sudden news. He shot a glance back behind him and said:

"Hinata, alert the other members of the clan and send out patrols to help the other shinobi currently engaged with the enemy. You are to go with an escort and scan the area for the enemy then report back with the information you've gathered. Is this understood?"

"Hai otosama (father)!"

Hiashi and the messenger sprinted away toward the village. In the distance, Hinata could start to see clouds of black smoke and dust rise above the skyline. However, she had been entrusted with the duty of alerting her clan and Hinata immediately flew inside the compound to alert the other clansmen & women.

"_Naruto…What's happening?"_

END OF CHAPTER 7

*A short chapter unfortunately, but only because I wanted to set up the storyline for the upcoming events. I look forward to hearing your feedback, and will be uploading a new chapter soon hopefully. –Wind Sage 00


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